English Reference
Noun

glut

n. countable
C1 Advanced US /ˈɡɫət/ UK /ɡlˈʌt/ glut UK spelling gluts, glutted Architecture Economics Mining

n.a situation where there is too much of something, like a product or a resource, so the price drops. It often happens when a market has more supply than people want to buy.

n.an excess of a particular commodity or resource, leading to a significant drop in market value. Often used in economic or geological contexts to describe oversupply or overabundance.


SIMPLE

A sudden glut of apples caused the price at the market to fall.

CONTEXTUAL

The discovery of several new oil fields led to a glut in the global market, forcing producers to lower their prices.

COMPLEX

Economists warned that the rapid expansion of the semiconductor industry would eventually lead to a glut, as the rate of production outpaced the growth of consumer demand.

Reports of milk going to waste are not uncommon during periods of a dairy glut.

BBC News· 4 Sept 2026

Inherited from Middle English glotien /glotten, probably derived from Old French gloter /glotir /glotoiier (“to eat greedily”) [compare French engloutir (“to devour”), French glouton (“glutton”)], derived from Latin gluttiō, gluttīre (“to swallow”). Compare Russian глота́ть (glotátʹ, “to swallow”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin gluttiō<t:to swallow>
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated